A lingering Ember
by Lighting wolf knight
Summary: Neo only wanted one thing after the death of Roman, the death of Cinder... Only to find out someone wielding Roman's cane... And with a past that will shock even her. Doesn't follow show. Rated T for violence, death and profanity. Chapters on Every other Wednesday. Neo x Desmond. Chapter pushed to Saturday or so.
1. Neo's Stroll

**Sup guys? Lighting Wolf here, back with another story, this one about Rwby. Enjoy the 800- word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.**

**(Vale)**

Neo walked over the rubble of the numerous buildings, using her umbrella to stop herself from falling over.

"Roman…" Neo whispered, Vale was damaged, it would heal. She wouldn't…. Just like all the people who died with the city.

Roman, to many, he was just a crime lord, someone who caused nothing but damage, misery and death. He was her friend though, her partner and her protector… Now he was just more food with the Grimm, food they didn't need… All because of Cinder Fall.

"Hands up, lady." Neo heard, she turned and glared at a random thug, not one who worked for Junior. He was just another nameless crook. She glared at him, her brown and pink eyes narrowing.

"Back off…" Neo growled, she reached for the button on her umbrella for the sword on it. Neo looked at the man waiting for her to walk away and get the damn pistol out of her face.

He didn't, Neo thumbed the button as he went to shoot her in the stomach. Neo easily swept the gun with the handle of her umbrella aside as the gun fired, shattering a window.

Neo turned and stabbed through the man, dropping him to the ground and then she brushed off her coat and walked down the street. She wasn't in the mood for the criminals of the city to be bothering her….

She wanted to leave, then she heard a distinct sound… It was the sound of Roman's signature weapon: Melodic Cudgel.

She rushed towards the sound, she knew the whistle over and over, it was the sound of a flare being launched from the cane.

She turned to see a Beowolf… And a pack of Creeps, she quickly popped the blade out of _Bittersweet_ and dodged the swipe of the Beowolf.

She then stabbed a Creep while she flipped off it's head to throw herself at the Beowolf. She kicked the Beowolf onto a sharp piece of rubble which pierced through the Beowolf and killed the Grimm.

She turned to look at the Grimm before the sound of _Melodic Cudgel_ before one of the Creeps exploded into bits.

"Damn it, I forgot this thing has a kick…." Neo heard; she watched the Creeps go to attack the holder of the cane. The figure lifted _Melodic Cudgel_ and blasted one of the Creeps before Neo stabbed the other creep.

"Hmm…" The figure said as he leaned on _Melodic Cudgel_, it was then she noticed that the figure wasn't Roman.

She saw the figure adjust his charcoal coat, he had black gloves, whiteish boots, and a blackish shirt under that.

"I swear, these things are more annoying than bugs… I can't believe how many they are, even after all the ones I killed…" The boy muttered, she frowned and then she looked and saw that he was holding _Melodic Cudgel_.

"My name's Desmond. You look new, you fine or did they rough you up?" Desmond asked, he leaned on _Melodic Cudgel_ and then looked around at the buildings while he looked around at the buildings.

"You ok? You don't talk much, don't you?" Desmond asked, Neo frowned, Desmond looked and then shrugged before he walked away and into the smoke.

"Humph!" Neo hissed in annoyance while she followed Desmond, he rested the cane on his shoulder and looked at her before shrugging and motioning for him to follow him, he hummed before looking at her over his shoulder.

"You have a name or should I just guess for you?" Desmond asked, he brushed off his coat while swinging the cane around while he tapped the cane on the ground and then turned to look at Neo.

"Neo." Neo stated, Desmond hummed and then smiled and nodded.

"Ok then, Neo is an awesome name… Well, c'mon, time is money. I have a lot to do and I'm sure you don't have to be out… Unless your blocking rain." Desmond joked, Neo sighed and then bopped him on the head.

Desmond rubbed his head and turned to look at her, he rolled his eyes and then looked at her hat.

"Cool hat, whoever wore it had great taste." Desmond stated; Neo nodded. She didn't know who Desmond was… But she would find out.

Desmond looked and smiled at her and she felt something familiar.

Author Note

**Phew, first chapter done! Yes, this chapter is short, next chapter will be longer. I also want to point out this story will majorly change Neo's arc. Desmond I'll explain next chapter. next chapter will show Desmond and Neo talking and will show Desmond's plan. Until then, Lighting Wolf out! **


	2. Desmond's plan

**Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 900- word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.**

**(Vale)**

Desmond warmed his hands in the fire and looked at Neo who was silent while Desmond leaned on _Melodic Cudgel_ while facing her.

"You don't talk much, huh? You know, a lot of people are scared of the Grimm, you uh… Seems like their scared of you to be honest." Desmond said, he poked the fire with one end of his cane and looked at Neo.

"I lost someone who owned that Cane." Neo said simply, not used to the words slipping off her tongue.

"Yeah? I found it in a pile of rubble, I lost my weapon… Eh, that knife was slowing me down… And now I have this and… Well, now I'm stuck here, with dead people all around me and I have Grimm around me… You killed a guy, right?" Desmond asked. Neo nodded and Desmond shrugged at this.

"I don't endorse killing, but… It happens, Vale is a killed or be killed city right now… I guess you lost someone to, huh?" Desmond asked, Neo blinked and looked at him while Desmond tapped the cane on the ground.

"I lost my parents… Ursa got them, I didn't see what happened… But their gone, all because of these damn Grimm… I've killed off over 50…. I know it ain't going to bring them back though… I've been wanting to get out of here for a while… After they died, I mean…" Desmond said with a somber tone, Neo nodded before Desmond pointed with _Melodic Cudgel_ at the tower… The same place the Grimm Dragon rested.

"I've seen him up there for a long time… I know he's in charge, but he doesn't want to die… Nothing I've seen has worked on killing him…" Desmond said and turned back to Neo, leaning on _Melodic Cudgel_.

"I haven't seen your story though; I'm guessing you're not from the tournament?" Desmond asked, resting his head on the cane, Neo saw something familiar in Desmond… There was no way her hunch was true though.

"I was in it…" Neo stated, Desmond raised an eyebrow and then shrugged in amusement.

"I wouldn't have expected it… I would have seen you I thought… I must have been here longer then I thought… And I've only been here for 3 days…" Desmond said, Neo raised an eyebrow and pointed at _Melodic Cudgel_ with her umbrella: _Sunday Split_.

"Where did you get that cane?" Neo asked, wondering if Desmond really was related to her boss and someone who acted like a brother to her.

"I found it in the wreckage… It was near a crashed Atlas Airship; a Griffon threw it up… I don't know why, but I took it and went on my way… I've been tinkering with it the entire time, fix it up and all that." Desmond said, he looked at the cane and then he looked at the sky.

Desmond spun the cane in his had then he looked around the street. He brushed off his clothing and then looked at Neo in amusement. He brushed off the cane before he looked at the girl.

"I had a plan to leave Vale… I wanted to talk to that guy… He had a rocket launcher I believe… damn it, what was his name? I just remembered and then I forgot it… Junior, his name was Junior! I was going to talk to him, he has connections for everything…" Desmond said, Neo nodded and looked at her gloved hands.

"I think we can talk to him; I can persuade him to let us leave here…" Desmond heard from Neo, he blinked.

"You have… You're a very interesting girl… Ok, let's go and talk to him… Follow me, he moved out of his last place since Vale fell apart." Desmond said while standing up, he looked at Neo and waved his hand.

"We should get going before its night… I mean, we can go at night, but the Grimm get angrier at night… I don't know why… Follow me." Desmond said, he brushed off his coat and looked at Neo's umbrella.

"You might have to fight some people; I'd keep your umbrella ready… Ok?" Desmond said, Neo nodded and grinned while Desmond turned and put the cane on his shoulder while he walked down the street.

Neo tiptoed after him, Desmond grinned and smirked while he continued walking down the street, wondering what would happen when they got to Junior's home, they had to deal with Junior's thugs, the man wasn't the type to talk things out… Not lately.

"Junior isn't much of the talking type, I should say… We might… We are going to have to fight him… I was wrong the first time when I said we MIGHT have to fight." Desmond said, Neo nodded in amusement.

It was going to be interesting; Desmond could already tell. Neo grinned in amusement; she was eager for a fight.

Author Note

**Phew, another chapter done! I'm sorry this chapter took so long, I wanted to make it good… Next chapter I promise to be longer. I also want to point out Desmond and Neo are going to form their own gang. Next chapter will be in 2 weeks on Tuesday or so and will show Desmond and Neo meeting Junior. Until then, Lighting Wolf out! **


	3. Junior

**Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 900- word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.**

**(Vale, Junior's Club)**

"Well… This is it…" Desmond said while he leaned on _Melodic Cudgel_, Neo rested her umbrella on her shoulder. Desmond tried to open the door and sighed.

"Great… Well, guess we're breaking and entering…" Desmond said before he started to lift his cane, Neo tapped him on the shoulder and pointed at the window.

"You want to go in that way? I don't think I can get up there… Besides, you seem more the…. Quiet type." Desmond said, Neo took the lame joke in stride and leapt up to the window before mimicking a clock with her fingers.

"I'll wait a minute then blow the doors down… It will take their attention away from you… Assuming they find you up there…." Desmond said, Neo nodded and vanished inside.

Desmond leaned on his cane while he waited, he knew Junior wouldn't let them in if they didn't force him. He had been locked up inside his club since the Grimm rampaged through town from what he heard.

"Well, minute is up…" Desmond muttered before he lifted _Melodic Cudgel_ and aimed at the door.

The crosshairs came up before he fired and the door was blown from its hinges, he blew the smoke off and rested the cane on his shoulder while he walked in. He twirled the weapon twice and then rested it on his shoulder again.

"Hello there, I'm sorry about that, but your sign said open and I just had to check this place out!" Desmond joked, he looked at the rafters and saw Neo on a beam before he had a pair of pistols in his face.

These were joined with more men with more pistols, a few rifles, axes and a few with swords. He turned and looked past the small army of thugs before he looked at Junior.

"You know, if this is customer service…" Desmond started to say before one of the men clubbed him to the ground.

"I thought I told you not to come and ask for favors, kid… You know the Grimm basically put me out of business…" Junior said, Desmond turned to look at Neo who was preparing to jump and mouthed something.

"Well… It isn't like you got anything to be scared of… You got a lot of these gentlemen around me… All willing to handle me if you need them… But you know… I just found something funny…" Desmond said while Junior looked at him and 2 of the thugs prepared to execute him.

"What's that, kid?" Junior asked before Desmond smirked.

"You rich guys spend so much time looking down on others you never bother to look up…" He joked before Neo leapt down and tornado kicked the thug before batting the other across the face with her umbrella, knocking both thugs to the ground.

Neo unfolded her umbrella while Desmond wiped the spit off his chin and then turned to her.

"Thank you, Sweet Tooth… I was beginning to think you were just going to wait and watch the show…" Desmond said, he rested _Melodic Cudgel_ on his shoulder and faced the forming circle of thugs while 2 girls in red and white dressed stepped out from the pillars.

"You have to be kidding me… Not again… Melanie, Miltia, stall them a minute… I'm getting something…" Junior said before Desmond turned to Neo and nodded at Junior.

"I'll handle the big guy, you handle his little bodyguards, that sound good for now?" Desmond asked, Neo nodded and Desmond looked at the bar.

"When I say go, go…" Desmond said, Desmond tapped his cane on his shoulder.

"Go!" Desmond yelled, he swiped a glass with the handle of his cane and sent it flying at one of the thugs, slamming it into the face of a thug. Neo stepped off and vaulted from the shoulder of the man at the twins.

Desmond fired the grappling hook at the rafters and swung over the thugs. He batted one of the thugs coming at him with a pistol in the chest before kicking the man to the ground. He spun and fired a shot from the cane into another charging thug with a sword, slamming the man to the ground.

"You know… We could have just talked about this… But I knew… I KNEW, you'd do this… Doesn't matter, it's fun and it's no skin off my back…" Desmond stated, he brushed off his jacket and then blew the smoke off his cane before he pointed at Junior.

"By the way, you're paying for the ammo in this thing…" Desmond said before Junior hefted a bazooka onto his shoulder, Desmond hummed.

"Someone's overcompensating for something…" Desmond said before a thug went flying into a pillar, cracking the glass.

Neo twirled her Umbrella while Desmond turned to Junior and motioned for him to attack.

"Bring it, big man." He said with a smirk.

Author Note

**Phew, another chapter done! I wanted to make this chapter longer, but I decided to make the fight with Junior and the Malachite Twins for next chapter. I want to point out that Desmond and Neo do have a similar to dynamic to her and Roman but not entirely. Next chapter will be on next Friday or so and will show Desmond fighting Junior and Neo the twins. Until then, Lighting Wolf out! **


	4. Duel

**Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 1000- word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.**

**(Vale, Junior's Club)**

Desmond parried a swing of Junior's bat before he slid under another swing and then kicked Junior back.

"C'mon, big man, I thought you were tough…" Desmond said before he turned to see Neo bat another thug to the ground before she dodged a slash at her head. She then slammed her umbrella into Militia's face before Melanie kicked her back.

This allowed Junior to bat him backwards, he slid back and his aura shimmered before he cracked his jaw.

"Ok… That hurt…" Desmond said while Junior turned his weapon into a bazooka and fired a barrage at Desmond.

"Let's have a gunfight…" Desmond said before he aimed _Melodic Cudgel _ and fired at the cluster of missiles, destroying them and causing smoke to billow out while Desmond prepared to continue his fight.

"You shouldn't have come here, kid…. Like I said…" Junior said, Desmond charged through the smoke and slammed his cane into Junior's bat before he dodged a strike and whipped Junior in the leg before he batted him on the back. Junior stumbled back, he was glad

"And you shouldn't have taken me lightly…" Desmond said, Junior rubbed his back while he climbed his feet.

**(With Neo)**

Neo dodged a kick from Melanie's heels and then she flipped Miltia to the ground before she turned to block a barrage of gunfire from Junior's thugs.

"Ugh, you're more annoying than that blond girl…" Melanie say before Neo turned to look at both twins and curtsied. She turned to see Desmond hook the shaft of Junior's club before he yanked him into a punch to the face before Junior shoulder checked him backed.

"Blond Girl?" Neo asked, she knew who they meant before she turned to get knocked back by a roundhouse kick from Melanie.

She smirked and twirled her umbrella; she was going to have to get serious then.

**(With Desmond)**

Desmond turned to the other henchmen which had backed off, probably knowing to let their bosses handle the duo.

He turned and managed to parry another club swing which clanged through the club before Junior rolled away.

Desmond rushed up, _Melodic Cudgel_ in his hands while he spun the cane. He turned to watch Junior transform his weapon into its rocket launcher form.

"Bad move, big man…" Desmond said, he smirked and spun while leaping off a step before he hooked the handle of his cane around Junior's weapon and twirled the weapon.

Junior fired into the ceiling, shattering it and raining down glass before the barrel of his cane faced Junior's face.

Desmond grinned and shot the man point blank, sending him flipping over the steps onto the floor.

Desmond rubbed at his sore and healing back and ribs before he faced the fallen crime lord.

He turned to look at Neo, she hooked Melanie in the middle of a kick and spun around before kicking her in the small of the back, knocking her to the ground before cartwheeling away from Miltia who clawed at her head.

She spun around and paused, Desmond blinked, why pause in the middle of a fight?

"Sweet tooth, move!" Desmond said before Miltia went to stab Neo while Melanie followed up with a hook kick at her head.

The image of 'Neo' shattered and Miltia blinked in shock before Melanie slammed into her and knocked them both down.

Neo appeared behind them and roundhouse kicked Miltia to the dance floor before she batted Melanie to the ground. Desmond was impressed, she didn't even take 5 minutes to overpower them.

Neo clicked a switch and a blade popped out of her umbrella, she grinned and prepared to execute the girl. Desmond looked at the thugs who were backing off from the fight.

"Wait, Neo, wait!" Desmond said before he flipped _Melodic Cudgel_ and fired the grappling hook which caught her arm.

Desmond walked over while Neo glared at him, he looked at her before Melanie looked at the duo.

"She's had enough… We came here for a fight, not to kill people we didn't have to… You proved your better." Desmond stated, Neo clicked the switch with a sigh and rested her umbrella on her shoulder while opening it.

"Be lucky I don't kill people for no reason…." Desmond said before he walked away, Neo looked at Melanie before she waved a warning finger in her face.

Desmond walked to Junior who groaned and reached for his bazooka before Desmond aimed his cane at his head.

"I don't have a problem shooting you if you do that… As much as I enjoy fighting… Killing you has no purpose… It isn't part of my plan…" Desmond said before he saw Junior drop his hand, Desmond twirled _Melodic Cudgel_ and rested it on his shoulder, barrel pointed at the ceiling.

"Good… Now…" Desmond said before he kneeled down and looked at the fallen crime lord.

"Let's talk business…" Desmond said, Junior sighed and climbed to his feet before Desmond turned to Neo.

"You keep an eye on things out here… Play nice." Desmond said before he followed Junior into the back of the club. Neo looked at the twins who sighed and realized they wouldn't win a fight with the ice-cream haired girl looked at them.

Both walked away while Neo leaned on a pillar and dared the rest of the club to attack her, she got no response.

Desmond might not be Roman, but there was certainly something familiar about him.

Author Note

**Phew, another chapter done, I wanted to show off that Neo was a skilled fighter like in the show. As for Desmond? I will explain his amount of skill next chapter. I also want to point out Neo is probably going to keep her season 2 outfit for the entire story. Next chapter will show Desmond and Junior talking and show Desmond's plan. Until next Wednesday, Lighting Wolf out!**


	5. Desmond's Ambitions

**Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 900- word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.**

**(Vale, Junior's Club)**

Desmond leaned on his cane while he looked at Junior and then he looked at Neo.

"You know, I really didn't think she'd be better than your bodyguards… " Desmond stated, Junior looked at Neo who was busy typing on her scroll then waving at Junior.

"Who is she? I've only seen one girl take both of them down…" Junior said before Desmond turned and shrugged.

"Her name's Neo… And she's my partner…" Desmond said while he looked at the man and then back to the wall before tapping his cane on the ground.

"You know…. Most of Vale is destroyed… And its biggest crime lord is hiding in his kingdom… I find that funny…" Desmond said, Junior groaned.

"What is it you want?" He asked, Desmond shrugged and leaned forward on his cane.

"I want a few million Lien, a crown and then a few pounds of Dust…." Desmond said, Junior looked at him with a sideways glare before he chuckled.

"I'm joking, I want a way out of Vale for me and the lovely lady… And some backup… I plan on expanding…" Desmond said, Junior sighed in annoyance.

"You're kidding me…" Junior groaned out, Desmond turned to the side and leaned on his cane again.

"I didn't shoot you… And I also didn't allow my partner who could probably easily have killed your bodyguards… I think I'm owed something… Don't you think, Mr. king?" Desmond asked, Junior sighed and then he turned to the map at the wall.

"Fine, we're done on this… We're done…" Desmond heard, he climbed to his feet and then looked at the man.

"I guess we are… Good doing business with you, Junior… When we get back in touch, I'll be sure to let you know…" Desmond said before he walked out of the office and then he turned to Neo who stepped off the wall, rested her umbrella on her shoulder.

"We're going for a walk, that good with you?" Desmond asked, Neo nodded and both walked out of the club while Junior started to handle their request.

"You didn't have to threaten her you know… She was beaten… Killing should only be the case if they don't give you a choice…." Desmond said, Neo blinked.

"Hmm?" Neo hummed out, Desmond turned to her and sighed.

"You can't stab people just because you beat them… There's a difference between fighting and killing… You saw my fight with Junior? I won because I fought smarter and because I took him down quickly… I got lucky…" Desmond said before he looked to the side and rested his cane on his shoulder like Neo did with the barrel pointed to the sky.

"Why, they would have killed you and my choices were killing them or be killed…" Neo said, Desmond nodded, he put his hand into his chin.

"Most fights are like that… But killing for no reason? That's no good, sweet tooth…. Killing one of his bodyguards wouldn't have been worth it, it would have just made Junior our enemy… And trust me, I don't much care what the old man thinks of me… But I don't plan on making enemies out of people… Not yet… Besides, I haven't mastered how to use this cane…" Desmond said before he leaned on a broken street light before he turned back to Neo.

"I haven't really gotten to mastering this thing… A straight up fight? I can handle myself for the most part… But handling his entire club? I can't do that… Least I'm not confident I could… I was expecting them to back off when the fight started… And they did… I still have to refill this thing and make sure it's fine after the battle with Junior… But I don't want you to kill people… Grimm are fine… But unless we have a good reason to spill blood? I don't want you to do it for no reason… We aren't going to get anywhere if you want to kill every guy, we fight… Ok?" Desmond asked, Neo nodded and looked to the side.

"I guess we're done in Vale… We're going to head south, set up shop there and then… Well, we're go from there… It's going to be awkward, but we're settle something up there." Desmond stated, Neo blinked and Desmond patted his shoulder with _Melodic Cudgel_.

"I think you're going to like what I have planned… But you're going to have to trust me a little more… Ok?" Desmond asked, Neo nodded and looked away before she smirked and looked at Beacon.

"I think I'm going to look for something to do unless you have an idea on what to do?" Desmond asked, Neo turned to the Beacon Academy.

She tugged on Desmond's jacket before pointing at the school, Desmond looked at it and blinked before he sighed in amusement and turned to the school.

He blinked and smirked.

Author Note

**Phew, another chapter done! I know it's a short chapter, next chapter will be longer. I want to point out that Desmond is an anti-hero… He does follow a bit in Roman's footsteps, next chapter is going to show Desmond and Neo visiting Beacon and show Desmond's plan off more. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!**


	6. Talk with Glynda

**Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 900- word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.**

**(Vale, Beacon)**

"Ok, ok, you can stop tugging me, I'm following you… Neo, please stop pulling my arm, I'm coming." Desmond said, he followed Neo who stopped tugging and started skipping down the path.

Desmond continued to look around the school, he didn't see any Grimm, presumably they were killed by Huntsmen so people could start trying to repair it.

He still saw bodies of Huntsmen and Huntresses and White Fang soldiers which he slowly stepped over; he poked a White Fang soldier with his cane.

"I haven't been here in a few weeks or so… So, what are we here for, sweet tooth?" Desmond asked, curious as to why Neo had the idea to bring him to the school.

"Headmaster." Neo said, Desmond blinked and then looked up at the Grimm Dragon who still was unmoving before he used his free hand to pull his hat down and adjust it.

"The Professor of Oz? You haven't heard? He was dead, Glynda took over for him after that, and she locked herself inside the school for now…" Desmond said before Neo pointed to her mouth and Desmond shrugged and pointed at the school.

"Go, I'll meet you at the door… This place brings back some bad memories considering what happened here… This place is bad news…" Desmond said, Neo nodded and skipped away, Desmond sighed and smiled before following his partner into the school.

Neo was at the door, Desmond looked at the courtyard before he pushed open the door slowly.

Neo looked around and Desmond followed her, _Melodic Cudgel_ making small clicking noises whenever the cane touched the floor. Desmond might not have needed it to walk, but it did help him feel better… Or maybe it was because he had a one-woman army with him helping him.

"Hello? We're here to talk to the woman in charge… Is anyone here, or this place still under reservations?" Desmond asked, trying to make light of the fact they were probably trespassing at this point.

Desmond pointed his cane at a noise while Neo prepared for another fight, a smirk on her face.

"Beacon Academy is closed for now… What are either of you doing here?" They heard before they looked to see Glynda Goodwitch, her arms crossed. Desmond could see clear bags under her eyes which meant she wasn't sleeping well.

Desmond rested his cane on the ground and then looked at her with a smile while Neo leaned on Desmond. Desmond looked at Neo who smirked at him before turning back to Glynda.

"I'm sorry, my friend here wanted to meet you and dragged us here… So, I had brought her to Beacon… I'm Desmond Morris, this is Neo…" Desmond said, Neo elbowed him in the ribs and he grunted before he looked at her with a smirk before he turned back to Glynda.

"Well, this school is closed to the public for now… Besides, it isn't safe for anyone to be here, Huntsmen and Huntresses aside… You have to leave soon." Glynda said before she turned around and Desmond sighed.

"How many people died when that giant lizard has been here without rent? I lost my parents and my entire team here and my parents… I'd gladly help you kill that thing if it means it's gone… I lost of people here, and I grew up in Vale… It pains me to see the entire town suffering like this." Desmond said, Neo blinked in amusement before Glynda turned back to them.

"Many, everyone thinks Atlas did this… And I know they didn't… General Ironwood didn't need to tell me that… And we haven't found a way to get rid of the Dragon, it's been frozen to the top of the CCT tower and repairs can't start until it's dead." Glynda said, Desmond shook his head and sighed.

"Well, I hope you kill it and get it out… Vale has suffered enough… I don't like seeing the town I grow up in looking like a ball of fire burned down the entire town." Desmond said before he walked to the door.

"Do you know where Cinder went?" Neo asked, Desmond turned back to her while Glynda raised an eyebrow before Neo continued.

"Or where that ship that was hijacked crashed?" Neo asked, Glynda was silent while Desmond paused at the door.

Why did that name sound familiar? Why? He hadn't heard it once before in his life and the name felt… So, alien… Yet he knew who it was.

"I don't… And how do you know who that it?" Glynda asked, Desmond looked at Neo and motioned for her to come with him.

Neo said nothing, she slowly turned back to the door before following Desmond out the door.

Glynda watched the duo leave. There was something familiar about his cane.

"Was that Torchwick's cane?" Glynda asked before she turned and walked away.

Author Note

**Phew, another chapter done! Yes, I know it was short, next chapter will be longer. I also want to point out Desmond does know about Cinder a bit. I will show next time. Next chapter will be on Sunday or so and will show Desmond and Neo talking and show Desmond and Neo heading towards Mistral. Until then, Ligating Wolf out! **


	7. Departure

**Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 900- word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.**

**(Vale.)**

Neo sat on a broken car while Desmond commanded a half dozen or so of Junior's thugs.

"I told you, move that crate there, not there! I swear, Junior probably doesn't hire you for your brains…" Desmond yelled before he looked over to the window of a store.

"I swear I'm surrounded by idiots…." Desmond muttered before he turned to look at Neo who blinked.

"You know I meant them, I was talking to them…" Desmond said, Neo shrugged before Desmond continued to look into the window.

"I thought when most of Vale got trashed, most of the stores went with it. I can see some awesome hats in there… Uh…" Desmond said, Neo looked at the henchmen and considered jumping down.

Then she heard the shattering of glass before she turned to look at Desmond, he had swung _Melodic Cudgel_ through the glass.

He had a sliver rimed, black and red hat on the barrel end of his cane which he flipped it onto his head before looking it over in the glass shard remains of the window.

"Hmm, pretty good if I do say so myself." Desmond said, inspecting himself and then he looked at Neo.

"What do you think, sweet tooth? You think it's too much? I mean, I want another opinion…." Desmond asked, Neo blinked and looked at the man in a new light.

Maybe he was more like Roman then she thought. She smiled and gave a thumbs up, Desmond smirked and patted her on the head before he walked to the bullhead which was getting ready to leave.

"I'm keeping it then… C'mon, we have stuff to do in Mistral and we have a long flight ahead of us…" Desmond stated, he offered his hand to Neo who accepted it, he pulled her aboard.

"Step on it, we're burning sunlight!" Desmond yelled while 3 bullheads, Neo and Desmond's bullhead being one of them.

Neo sat on the edge while Desmond leaned on his cane and considered closing the door before deciding to allow her to relax on the door.

"You know, I wonder what's going to happen in Mistral…. I have no idea what's going to occur when we reach Mistral…" Desmond muttered aloud to himself, he turned to look at Neo before a strong gust of wind whipped at the hat she wore.

She gasped as it flew into the wind before Desmond fired the grappling hook of _Melodic Cudgel_ at it. Neo looked terrified before the crook of his cane snagged the hat.

It flew back into the bullhead before Desmond caught it and put it on Neo's head again, he patted her head again.

"Keep a tight hand on it, I'm not going to get lucky like that again… I can barely aim this thing to begin with… You good?" Desmond asked, Neo looked at the hat before hugging it to her chest tightly and nodding.

"You want me to close the door or you good?" Desmond asked, Neo shook her head and then turned to look out the door again.

Desmond said nothing, crossing his arms while he rested his cane on the floor and sat down, he had been standing for hours.

"I don't mean to pry… But I'm guessing that hat you got there belonged to someone special, right? Your hugging it like it's the one toy you got for the holidays… I'm going to guess that person isn't among us anymore?" Desmond asked, Neo said nothing, she nodded a little and Desmond sighed.

"Well… I'll make sure to keep an eye on your hat then… Everyone lost something in Vale, I lost my parents and my team… I can understand losing someone… You just keep the hat on tight, I'll try and catch it off." Desmond stated, he leaned on the door with his cane and tapped it on the ground.

"I like this cane, it's pretty cool… I just wish there was easier ways to finish off people… I mean, you can shoot people, but besides that…. I need more training with it…. Eh, I got plenty of time in Mistral to do that…" Desmond muttered before he looked at Neo.

"I might have said this before, but you're a damn good fighter for someone using an umbrella, where did you learn how to fight like that? I don't know much of Vale… But I do know Junior's bodyguards are no joke… And you made them look like mincemeat… They could barely touch you… What did you do to learn how to fight like that?" Desmond asked, Neo was silent and looked out and into the wind.

"Ok… You can tell me another time… But I want to know, you really aren't a student if you can fight that well…" Desmond said, he pulled his hat over his eyes and started to sleep.

Desmond fell asleep a minute later, deep in thought.

Author Note

**Phew, another chapter done! I apologize for the short chapter; next chapter will be longer. I also want to point out I don't want to use Cinder as a villain because it would be too predictable. Next chapter will be on Sunday or so and will show Desmond and Neo in Mistral. Until then, Lighting Wolf out! **


	8. Setting Up

**Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.**

**(Mistral.)**

The bullhead set down and Neo and Desmond climbed out, Desmond looked over the abandoned warehouse.

"It's amazing what criminals leave behind… Might not be much, but it's still a start." Desmond said as the group of thugs carried in crates full of Dust.

Desmond rested on _Melodic Cudgel_ while Neo rested her open umbrella on her shoulder. He turned to look at her before patting her on the shoulder.

"I happen to know some guys due to that talk with Junior… Since you happened to kick the snot out of Junior's bodyguards for me… I'll let you be in charge of this merry crew with me… If you're ok with that. I don't want to tick off the girl who helped me talk on an entire club of thugs alone…" Desmond said, Neo walked to the door and walked inside.

"Ok then, guess we're going to be partners… Hmm…" Desmond muttered before he walked inside where he felt a cobweb in his face and he brushed it aside.

"Geez, you think the group of low lives would have tidied up this place…" Desmond muttered before he ended up nearly tripping over someone.

He looked down to see it was a man with a gun that had been dead for a few months at least.

"Oh… Never mind…" Desmond said, he stepped over the body and looked at Neo who sat on a metal box.

"You really enjoy sitting, huh?" Desmond asked, Neo nodded and Desmond turned to a trio of thugs and then to Neo.

"She's in charge if I'm not here… Now get the damn dust unloaded, you're not getting paid to stand around." Desmond muttered before he walked away, one of the thugs turned to Neo who nodded at the dust and patted her umbrella into her hand as a warning.

The man started to unload the Dust canisters while Neo walked to the balcony where Desmond was typing on his scroll.

Neo walked up to Desmond and peeked over his shoulder, standing on her tip toes before Desmond turned to her and laughed.

"I'm really enjoying your company, sweettooth, you're not like those meat heads down there… I'm trying to find a way to expand our little group… Mistral might look squeaky clean… But it has a lot of shady characters… I'm not trying to be a criminal… You know robin hood? The vigilante, steal from the rich, corrupted jackasses, sell to the poor… Keep a small profit on the side." Desmond said, he muttered the last part, Neo heard it all the same before Desmond turned back to her.

"I'm looking for more 'employees', I don't plan on going back to Shade, I already graduated Huntsmen school… But I am looking for more guys… Thing is, muscle around here isn't cheap… I'd either need to sell some stuff… Or we're going to have to uh…" Desmond started to say, he took his cane and swung at the air.

"Knock some heads… Something I'm sure your very good at considering your 'resume'." Desmond said, Neo chuckled at the joked and turned back to the thugs who were paused.

"Back to work." Neo said and rested her umbrella on her shoulder, they went back to work and Desmond turned to Neo.

"We're going to get along fine… I'm going to talk to someone Junior recommended that will help us get this stuff shipped off… Gentlemen, Neo is in charge… Any of you Neanderthals threaten her and she doesn't bash your head into the ceiling, you're having a talk with me… And trust me…" Desmond said before pointing his cane at the thugs before bringing up the sight.

"You don't want to see me mad…" Desmond said before he rested his cane on his shoulder. He turned and patted Neo on her hatted head before he turned.

"You have fun, Neo…" Desmond muttered before he started to walk away, swinging _Melodic Cudgel_ around when he walked out the door.

The thugs turned to Neo who looked at them, waiting for them to try and make a move or attack her, they turned back to their work while Neo flipped onto a crate and sat crossed legged while waiting for Desmond to return.

**(With Desmond)**

Desmond looked back at the warehouse, he considered returning to it then realized that Neo could easily kill everyone who tried to go after her if she wanted.

He turned and continued walking through the forest. He wouldn't be able to move on with his plan without more pull in the underworld.

That meant cutting deals to get more man power… He also knew several groups he could raid to get those resources.

Tomorrow they would probably attack one of those said groups.

He could hardly wait to get down to business, they had so much to get done in Mistral. He smirked while he walked through the forest.

He had such wonderful plans for Mistral.

Author Note

**Phew, another chapter done! I want to point out Desmond isn't a villain; he is going to be a criminal at times… But not a massive one. Next chapter will show more of Desmond's plan and it will involve Desmond, Neo and their gang attacking another criminal group. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!**


	9. The raid

**Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 2000-word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.**

**(Mistral.)**

Neo blinked and looked at the henchmen handling Dust Crystals and sighed, wondering when Desmond would be back.

She was cut off by a flash of light followed by a voice.

"Hello!" She heard and she quickly tornado kicked the person behind her while activating the blade on _Bittersweet_ while pinning the figure to the ground.

She blinked as she realized the figure was a grinning Desmond who moved her umbrella away with his cane.

"Hey, at least tell me you're going to kick me to the ground before you do it…" Desmond said before Neo puffed out her cheeks in annoyance and backflipped off Desmond who used _Melodic Cudgel_ to climb to his feet.

"I should have told you my semblance lets me teleport to anywhere I want… As long I can remember the location… And it isn't continents away… And it takes time to do it." Desmond muttered before he dusted off his coat and walked to the edge of the ledge.

"Alright… Listen up meatheads, I got good news and bad news…." Desmond said before he pulled out his scroll.

"The good news is, your all about to receive a very generous paycheck along with me and we will be expanding quite a bit with new recruits." Desmond stated, his and Neo's henchmen grinned before Desmond held up his hand while they started to cheer.

"Bad news is… We have to kill a lot of very bad people to do it… Like a lot, I'd feel bad about it, but your see why I don't." Desmond said before he displayed a picture of a group clad in grey armor with a Ursa painted red on the back of them.

"These are the Grey Ursa, a very heavily armed, heavily armored… Dangerous more or less, group of mercenaries who have been raiding other criminal groups and the White Fang... Dust, ammo, anything you'd want, they steal…" Desmond said before he turned back to the now nervous henchmen.

"We… Are going to raid their supply base and steal that stuff back… Along with finding out where their Airship: _The Percival_, would be… We pull this off, Junior has agreed to commit more men and look for fresh recruits for our little gang I plan on making a syndicate of." Desmond said before he moved onto a picture of a Grey Ursa merc executing a civilian.

"You are fully allowed to kill any Grey Ursa members you encounter… They will not hesitate to kill you… And along with kidnapping, murder, arson… A very long list of very nasty charges… This is why I feel so little remorse for this… Now, onto my plan." Desmond said before he moved the slideshow onto a map.

"I happened to buy a map out of my own pocket… Your welcome. Me and a group of you will be dropping down in the forest… Here." Desmond said before putting a pin on the map.

"Neo and another group of you gentlemen will land here, flanking them, and take out any sentries." Desmond stated, another pin.

"The last of you will stay in a Bullhead, your serve as reinforcements and air support… I call you in? You strafe them, but you're be there mostly to bring in more guys if me or Neo need it… Any questions?" Desmond asked, he saw none and turned back to Neo.

"Ok, get ready and go, I wish we had guards for here, but we're all going to go if we're going to handle them… Pack everything you don't feel is good in the open and get a Bullhead…" Desmond said before he vaulted the railing and landed on a table.

"I'll see you at the base…" Desmond stated to Neo before 2 of the thugs looked at her. They walked out the door with Neo and 4 other thugs boarded their Bullhead.

The 2 other Bullheads flew off into the distance.

**(10 minutes away, 20 miles away)**

Desmond was glad he could also get fuel stolen. He and his henchmen formed up around him along with Neo and her group of henchmen.

All of the gang looked down on what could only be called an abandoned Mistral base, it was rectangular, with gates with turrets around each edge.

There was also watch towers, each had 2 mercenaries on them, each looking down on a part of the forest.

"Well… I really hope none of you are thinking of backing out…. Neo, take your group and take care of the back… The rest of you, wait till mi inside and those guns are down… And the second I call it in, bring in the Bullhead… And like I said, no mercy, you need to shoot someone inside there? You do it, their scumbags… I'm not going to cry over a bunch of former Mistral soldiers." Desmond said before he dropped down from the cliff and rushed towards the base.

He fired the grappling hook for his cane at a ledge and managed to slip by the turret that swung back to look at him.

"Idiots are so convinced nobody will raid them they don't even set up motion sensors or such…" Desmond muttered before he looked at the towers, he would have to neutralize them before Neo and the others could attack.

He saw a box of Dust canisters and grinned, it might not be a quiet plan… But stealth was going to go out the window the second the gunshots went off.

**(With Neo)**

One of the mercs turned to see Neo stab her through the chest, she usually only used _Bittersweet's_ blade for killing wounded enemies… But killing in general was still killing.

She looked up in time to see an explosion rock one of the 2 towers before she saw Desmond duck a slice to his head before he threw the man over the edge with the hook of his cane to the man's wrist.

He turned and shot the other merc, he flipped over the ledge, slamming into the ground, dead before he hit the ground.

"Attack! We're under attack!" A Grey Ursa mercenary shouted before Neo vaulted onto his shoulders and snapped his neck with her feet before vaulting off the dead mercenary as he hit the ground.

"Attack!" One of Desmond's men yelled while Neo's group surged forward, they shot 2 of the mercenaries in the head before they started to get shot at.

**(With Desmond)**

Desmond saw a squad of Grey Ursa mercs rush out the front gate while he shut down the turrets which buzzed as they lost power.

"Bring in the Bullhead, we need reinforcements…" Desmond ordered on his scroll while he turned to a merc who batted him backwards.

Desmond rubbed his back before he shot the man in the chest which sent him sliding back, he looked at his scroll again.

"Neo, how are things on your end going? I just got hit… I think we've drawn out the entire group… And the defenses are down… But these guys are tough and there's much more of them then there is us." Desmond asked, using his cane to climb to his feet, he cracked his back and looked around.

All he could hear was gunfire and shouting, he walked out of the command center and looked around.

"Neo!" Desmond yelled before 2 Grey Ursa mercs came sliding around the corner before Neo flipped until she was in front of him.

"You good? How are things going?" Desmond asked before he heard the strafing of the Bullhead which wiped out 6 or so of the 2-dozen remaining mercs.

4 more of Desmond's men deployed from the Bullhead which spun off before anyone could get another good shot.

"You take care of your side, I'll wipe out the ones on the other side…" Desmond said, a bullet nicked his neck and he growled before shooting the man.

His Aura healed the cut before he marched towards the 12 remaining mercs on his side.

**(With Neo)**

Neo watched one of Desmond's men take a bullet to the chest before falling over. She then watched one of the Grey Ursa soldiers draw his axe and rush forward at her.

She easily dodged the man before smashing the handle of her umbrella into his face, she then kicked him to the ground and stabbed him in the back.

She turned and blocked another round from a merc who blinked. Neo smirked and waggled her finger before the man was gunned down by another of Desmond's men.

She had an idea and looked at one of the fallen mercs, clearly an officer. She looked over to see Desmond block a punch to his face before clubbing the man he was fighting over the head and using the hook of _Melodic Cudgel_ to toss him to the ground by his wrist.

He turned to her and fired, she turned to watch another Mercenary fall from the gate to the ground.

That was before another merc tackled him and started stabbing at him with his knife.

Neo started to run towards the man before Desmond headbutted the man and used his new leverage to push the man up before booting him in the face.

Desmond grabbed _Melodic Cudgel_ and used it to flip his hat into his hand before dusting it off.

"So uncivilized." Desmond joked before the mercenaries held up their hands.

"We give up, we give up!" One of the mercs yelled while the 8 remaining henchmen Desmond had slowly surrounded them.

"I'm sorry, I beg your pardon?" Desmond asked, dusting off his coat while Neo walked next to him.

She was starting to see more of Roman in Desmond. He looked at the remaining mercenaries before walking over to them.

"You rob up and down Mistral, you nearly hurt the lovely lady I have with me… And yet you're done? Boys, is my hearing going or did they just give up after all this bloodshed?" Desmond asked while the Bullhead he ordered in landed on the landing pad for the base.

"You would have killed all of us if we didn't." A merc said before Desmond pointed the barrel of _Melodic Cudgel_ at her.

"And what makes you think I won't now? I might not be a Huntsmen, but I'm not a scumbag willing to kill innocent people… What's stopping me from just killing the rest of you and taking all those supplies you have here?" Desmond asked, Neo unloaded her umbrella and rested it on her shoulder. She leaned on Desmond.

"We could get you in touch with a few more groups willing to work for cheap… And we're join you." One of the Grey Ursa soldiers said.

Desmond sighed and put a hand to his face before leaning on his cane.

"Since my little growing gang of thieves is also co run by miss Neo here… I will let her decide on what to do with you…" Desmond said before he turned to Neo.

"What about it, sweettooth, you're the tie breaker, you helped me handle this raid… You decide if they get to join." He stated while Neo looked over the group of soldiers. She knew if they had joined, they might return for payback.

But they also needed more manpower.

"Keep them." Neo stated to Desmond heard before he nodded and turned to the thugs with amusement,

"Welcome to the club." He said with a smirk while his men helped the mercs up.

Author Note

**Phew, another chapter done! I'm sorry the fight was a bit rushed; I'll make the fights coming up better. I also want to point out Neo isn't fighting Cinder in this story; she will fight Emerald and Mercury though. Next chapter will be on Saturday or so and will show Desmond and Neo talking. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!**

**Ps: Terra Arc's story is going to be next and will come out tomorrow.**


	10. The Spiders

**Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.**

**(Mistral.)**

In the few days since the battle with the Grey Ursas, many people were interested in Desmond. He had attracted a larger crowd of henchmen and was able to expand his operation further into Mistral.

He turned to see Neo walk up to him while he watched a Bullhead take off with a shipment of Dust for the government of Mistral… As well as other more 'honorable' criminals.

Desmond was many things, but he wasn't a terrorist, he had principals. He watched the Bullhead vanish into the distance before turning back to his partner.

"You good? I thought you were still around at the base." Desmond said, while had had over 20 men now… Junior having recovered from the Fallout in Vale, had sent more henchmen for Desmond.

That and a few of the gangs in Mistral, and Desmond had started to carve out his own syndicate in Mistral.

"They didn't find anything… They're still trying to open those parts of the outpost that only the Grey Ursa could open…" Neo put in, Desmond turned to a group of his men.

"On schedule, got it? We're not going big time if you can't fly on time to where I need you to fly." Desmond ordered and the duo ran off to follow what their boss wanted.

"I'm starting to think we need more manpower…" Desmond muttered and then he turned back to Neo.

"There's going to be a lot of people after us… And the Grey Ursas aren't gone, we still need to find that airship their boss uses… It's going to cut into supplies and such if they control the air…" Desmond stated before handing the scroll off to one of his men.

"I can find it." Neo said, Desmond turned to her and raised an eyebrow. She had told him how her Semblance could disguise herself and make illusions.

"You sure about that, sweet tooth? I know you can hold your own… But the Grey Ursa has been ramping up their operations… I've had to post guards at the outposts we seized… Dust Mining is so time consuming…" Desmond muttered before he tapped his cane on the ground.

"Yes… Give me a week and I'll not only find you where the ship is… I'll bring it down if we don't need it…" Neo said, Desmond turned back to his men and then to her.

"If… IF, there is any problem, you tell me and your done… I'm not letting you catch a bullet to the face for me… And if it's possible, we take that ship… If you can't? You sink it… Kill it… Sink it till it crashes into the lakes of Mistral… Just don't risk yourself unless you have to… I'm not losing someone like you or anyone I don't have to…" Desmond said, Neo nodded and flipped over the railing.

"You don't need any backup?" Desmond asked, Neo shook her head.

"That's sweet, but I'll be fine, more backup will just slow me down… I'll get back to you in a day or so." Neo said before she vanished out the door.

Desmond turned back to his men and tapped his cane on the ground before he looked away.

"Well, this is going to be interesting… Someone get the Bullheads loaded and get me Junior… We need to have a talk, boss to boss." Desmond ordered before he walked away, he knew Neo would be fine… But a part of him still worried and he brushed his arms off before he walked away, tapping his cane on the floor as he walked.

"Boss…. What about the Spiders?" One of his men asked before Desmond raised an eye.

"Spiders? What spiders?" Desmond asked and the man showed a picture of 3 of his men dead and a squad of dead Grey Ursa soldiers.

"What the hell…?" Desmond asked before he looked at the spider emblem and turned back to the man.

"Get me everything you have on these guys… 'Spiders'? I'm going to squash them then… Just what we need, a third party in this war we're having…." Desmond said and he turned and walked away.

He had to talk to Junior, the man had to know something about the spiders and he need to talk to him anyway.

Now he had reason to be worried about Neo, but between her Semblance and the vast wilderness of Mistral?

He wouldn't find Neo anytime soon, but he would figure out what these 'spiders' were.

Mistral belonged to him and his group…. Not some upstart like these spiders.

"Should we still keep sending shipments like we've been doing?" The man asked, Desmond pulled on his fedora and then he turned to him.

"Get the ones we have out… If they're not needed? Then keep them… We're going to war." Desmond ordered, the man nodded and ran off.

Desmond narrowed his eyes. And he walked to the back rooms.

Author Note

**Phew, another chapter done! I want to point out Desmond isn't going to be fighting Raven or any of Salem's circle besides Mercury and Emerald. Next chapter will be in a week or so on Sunday and will show Desmond talking to Junior and Neo hunting the Grey Ursa. Until then, Lighting Wolf out! **


	11. Neo's Recon

**Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.**

**(Mistral.)**

The first thought that Desmond had was that he hadn't heard much from Neo before the noon of the day after that, he crossed his arms.

"So you know who the spiders are?" Desmond asked, surronded by a group of his men.

"Yes, but you've already met her daughters…. Her name is Lil Ms. Malachite." Junior said, Desmond blinked and then his eyes narrowed.

"And she just started a war with me… Fine then, I'll talk to her before I do anything… But I want you to know that I'm planning on taking Mistral over…. And considering how we're talking about business…" Desmond said before he got up.

"Lets talk business…." Desmond stated.

**(With Neo)**

Neo tossed the thug to the ground before kicking him in the face. She poped out the blade of her umbrella and then she turned on her Scroll.

"Desmond?" Neo asked, she took a seat on a crate and looked around the trashed room.

"Neo? I thought you'd never call… How are things on your end? Junior is useless, guy couldn't find a Ursa in Mt. Glenn." Desmond said, he looked around the room which was filled with unconcious thugs or so.

"Geez, do you ever have trouble fighting?" Desmond asked before he cleared his throat.

"Did you find anything out about the Grey Ursa? I was about to look for that airship of theres…. But it seems your onto something… Either that, or you decided to blow off some steam by beating up a entire warehouse of bandits and thugs…" Desmond asked, Neo nodded.

"I know where their airship is, but unless your planning on seizing the entire ship, we arent going to have much use for it… It's a big ship, but its no warship…" Neo reported, Desmond sighed and turned to the side.

"No, I said double security! i… Hang on, sweet tooth…. I said double the security and we arent expanding till we deal with the Grey Ursa and then find out more on the damn spiders…" Desmond put in before he turned to Neo again.

"Sorry, good help and such… If you know anything, let me see… I'm going to find a way to bring down an airship… We have enough Bullheads to assault an airship… But that also means we need to have people on the ground… Get back here, we're think of something…" Desmond said, Neo gave a thumbs up before Desmond rolled his eyes.

"Hang on, I'm sending a Bullhead to pick you up… Second in command of the syndicate shouldn't have to walk back to base." Desmond said before he signed off.

Neo smiled and cheerily skipped out of the trashed building with over 24 Criminals from Vale as she found out.. Not that they were stronger then her… Neo had taken out entire gangs by herself.

She walked outside and leaned on a tree to wait for the arrival of the Bullhead.

**(With Desmond)**

Desmond watched as more crates of Dust were loaded onto 2 Bullheads before they pulled the doors shut and both craft took off.

Desmond rested on his cane, he knew the Spiders had to be the main criminal force in Mistral. They had struck him to draw blood, to get him to back off.

Desmond wasn't a man to back down from a fight, and he would be damned if he let 3 of his men die for nothing.

Still… As long as the Grey Ursa remained alive, they would be a threat to the syndicate… He needed something better to name them, but the 'syndicate' worked just fine.

He was interrupted by one of his Bullheads landing, he held strong against the gust of wind which marked the craft landing.

The door was opened and Neo hopped out, waving, Desmond smiled and returned the gesture before turning to his men.

"Once these lift off? Keep the rest fueled up and ready. I don't want a war without air support." Desmond ordered as they nodded and Desmond turned back to Neo.

"I still cannot… Yes I can, believe you took down a entire warehouse… Quite a feat… Anyway, you have the Scroll?" Desmond asked, Neo nodded and opened up her scroll which Desmond looked at.

"Geez, and I thought I had a big ego…We're going to need a lot of people to attack that… Unless we're going to bring it down… Then I have a plan to do just that…" Desmond stated before he turned to Neo and patted her on the head.

"We're dealing with this with brute force, if we take the ship, we take it… If not?" Desmond asked while he started to walk away.

"Then their see just how much they don't want to screw with people like us." Desmond said before he walked away, a plan brewing in his mind before he walked away and then he looked further away.

He smirked.

Author Note

**Phew, another chapter done! I want to point out that Neo is still going to be the more skilled between her and Desmond. Desmond is still a better tactician. Next chapter will show Desmond planning an attack on the airship for the Grey Ursa. Next chapter will also be in 2 weeks or so. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!**


	12. Planning the Assault

**Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 800-word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.**

**(Mistral.)**

Desmond continued to walk back and forth between his men with Neo standing next to him.

"Now, considering what Neo said? We're going to have a problem attacking the… _Fearless_ as it's called… Way to name a damn bucket of bolts…" Desmond said, jokingly muttering the last part under his breath before turning back to his men.

"We have two options… The first involves airdropping onto the hull and fighting to the bridge… I'll be with you all the way… But unless you want to recreate the scene of boarding a spaceship, isn't a good idea… The other idea is to destroy the _Fearless_… We have the manpower and firepower to take down the ship and it sends a clear message to not screw with us…" Desmond said while he walked back and forth.

"The problem is in that destroying the airship means dealing with all of the air support around that ship… Means we're going to have to be fighting an air war… That and bringing down an airship…. That basically involves needing part of our man power to be focused on the ground… Bringing down an airship isn't something we can be quiet on…. So, any questions while we finalize a plan of attack?" Desmond asked, resting _Melodic Cudgel_ on his shoulder before he looked at his men.

One of them raised his hand and Desmond pointed his cane at the man.

"What about the Spiders, boss? I thought they were a problem as well." Desmond heard from the henchmen and he looked at his subordinate.

"I stated what we would do… We wait until they come out of the shadows and then we strike… I know your scared… These 'spiders', are big news from what I heard… But we still have a war with the Grey Ursa to finish… The sooner their gone, the sooner we're free to focus on the Spiders." Desmond stated, he turned to his henchmen and tapped his cane on the ground.

"Anyone who wants to try to capture the airship?" Desmond asked, he couldn't decide whether the choice was worth it.

Capturing an airship gave him a much more mobile base… It also served as a staging area, supply storage and suited him.

But it also put a target on his back, having the ship be destroyed wouldn't just lower morale. It would cost much more men.

"This is going to be crazy, seriously… Why am I even surprised even more?" Desmond asked while he sighed and walked down to his office and chuckled in amusement.

"Ok… Neo, do you need something?" Desmond asked while he turned to look at his Lieutenant.

He smiled at her usual smirk, he didn't know if she just enjoyed killing or she enjoyed being with the gang.

"What did you plan to do? You never would have given them a choice if you didn't have much of a good plan." Neo said, Desmond leaned on _Melodic Cudgel_.

"I just said we have plans… It's just I don't know which to choose, Neo… Taking over that ship is great… But it puts a bullseye on our back… And I'd like to keep the on the down low…" Desmond said, Neo looked to the side.

"But destroying it means we're bring attention to ourselves and the wreckage will attract scavengers you don't want." Neo stated, Desmond smiled.

"Smart and deadly… I'm surprised you didn't take over this gang already. Your correct, the obvious choice is to crash the ship, show them we mean business… But that's going to bring scavengers eager for food… And as such? I don't know what to do… I'll let them do… And we're go from there, if you need me, I'm in the office. You get me if you have a better plan, I'm all ears for it… You might want some rest though; you look a little run down from checking out Mistral." Desmond said, he patted Neo on the head and he walked out of the room.

Neo watched her friend and partner leave the room and smiled in amusement. She turned and walked to go and talk to the rest of their men to try and come with her plan.

But Desmond had a problem, both plans had flaws as well.

Author Note

**Phew, another chapter done! I'm sorry for this chapter is short, next chapter will be longer. I want to point out this story isn't entirely going to follow the show. I want to point out that Neo and Desmond will be falling in love soon. Next chapter will be on Monday or so and will show Desmond and Neo trying to finalize their plan to attack the Grey Ursa. Until then, Lighting Wolf! **


	13. Finalization

**Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 800-word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.**

**(Mistral.)**

Desmond sat in his office before Neo walked in, Desmond looked up at her and then looked to the side.

"You need something, sweet tooth? I'm trying to figure out the best idea for the ship… Damn it, between this and the blasted spiders, we're going to be dead within weeks…" Desmond muttered before he looked at Neo while resting his hand on his fedora which rested on the table. He looked at _Melodic Cudgel_.

"We're going to need more men… If this goes well? I'm going to start looking for more recruits… I did some looking into the spiders? These guys have owned Mistral for years… They don't want sharks in the water like us…" Desmond said before he turned his chair to look at a map of Mistral.

"There's a few trade ports… Owned by a few nasty groups that the world wouldn't mind being wiped off the face of the map." Desmond said before he crossed his arms.

"I have plans for Mistral, Neo… But those plans are honestly dead without your powers, a lot more resources and men… And time. A smart move might be to try and make peace with the Spiders… But it would show weakness, they'd walk all over us…" Desmond said while Neo blinked.

"You don't want to kill if you want to, right?" Neo asked, Desmond turned to look at her.

"I don't like killing people unless they deserve it… Or their scumbags… I might work with thugs… Besides you… But I don't kill people just for nothing… So yeah, I don't want to kill just for no reason… We go to war; we kill when we have to or if it's warranted… I do know backing down from a fight after they cut us is going to make us look bad…." Desmond stated, he grabbed his cane and then slowly stood up.

"My leg has been hurting a bit, I think I took a shot to the leg… I'm going to go look for a doctor soon… Anyway, we have a raid to talk about… Have our men made a choice or did they think up what we're going to do? My brain is mush from what I'm trying to think I don't know what to do at the moment…" Desmond muttered before he grabbed at his leg and then leaned on his cane and looked at Neo in amusement.

"Well? Did they?" Desmond asked, Neo nodded and then he laid back in his chair and tapped his leg before he sighed and rubbed at it.

"Ok, what's our game plan? They want us to try and seize the airship or crash the piece of junk?" Desmond asked while Neo made a hand sign.

It showed them trying to take over the airship, Desmond turned and threw up his hands.

"You give them an inch and their think their unstoppable… Fine, I guess we're going all or nothing… We're going to need everything we have to assault that ship and capture it… And if we fail, we're going to need an out plan for that plan…" Desmond muttered before he smirked.

"Ok, I'll come up with a plan…. Go and tell everyone that we're be ready to strike in 3 days… And I mean EVERYONE… I want the entire army and air force we have ready for battle." Desmond said, he cracked his back and turned to Neo.

"I'll go and get you when it's time to go…" Desmond said and then he put his hat back on his head.

Neo walked out of the room while Desmond slowly pulled out his scroll and started to look through it.

"Damn Spiders are going to be dealt with personally… But one problem at a time… One problem at a time…" Desmond said while he continued to type on the scroll.

He looked up a crime report on the Spiders and gaged at what he saw, he sighed and began to dial up Junior.

"Old man, your bodyguard's mother is going to wage war on me? Then I'll give her a war… A war she won't forget… It will be burned into her mind when this is all said and done… It will be a war that isn't forgotten." Desmond muttered before he felt the scroll buzz.

He looked at it and chuckled, he smirked and started to walk out of the office.

Author Note

**Phew, another chapter done! I'm sorry this chapter is short; I'll make the next chapter 900 words or so. Next chapter is going to be in 3 weeks or so and will show Desmond and Neo carrying out the attack on the airship, until Sunday or so. Lighting Wolf out!**


	14. Desmond's siege

**Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.**

**(Mistral.)**

10 Bullheads moved towards the airship; Desmond turned around to look at Neo. She had nicknamed her weapon _Hush_ now, he didn't care much, he turned to look at the airship.

"Neo, I need you and your guys to disable the weapons… Everyone else? We're fighting to the bridge… Neo, if we don't take the ship over right away, plant a bomb on the engine." Desmond said before the Bullhead landed on the hull, he and a group of 9 of his men leapt out.

Neo stood by the pilot before she flipped onto the ship, Desmond watched the rest of the Bullheads lagging behind as 2 more managed to dive through the flak and drop off 20 more men.

"15 with me, 15 with her, we either take this ship or we bring it down!" Desmond ordered before he saw a wave of Grey Ursa soldiers lock the door before Desmond sighed and turned to Neo.

"Please get the doors? I'm going to handle making sure the Grey Ursa aren't going anywhere." Desmond said as Neo nodded and opened up a service hatch.

"She's too good for this gang…" Desmond muttered, he wondered why Neo did what he said.

He waited for a few minutes before the door opened and he was greeted by a barrage of gunfire, Desmond and his group ducked behind cover.

"Damn it!" Desmond hissed before he dug a spare Dust Crystal out of his pocket.

He tossed it into the door and then fired a shot after it. He was rewarded with an explosion and then the gunfire stopped.

"Move up, half of you with Neo!" Desmond yelled as he and his men moved through a half dozen dead Grey Ursa soldiers.

He turned at the sound of a hatch opening and aimed _Melodic Cudgel _at the hatch.

Neo climbed through with _Hush_ and waved which made Desmond smile and wave back as Neo skipped over to them.

"15 of you escort the lovely lady to the weapons and engines… Once their down, we can bring in the other soldiers… Until then, keep those escorting Bullheads off us…" Desmond ordered as he and his men walked off, Desmond turned to Neo.

"Remember, you don't have to show mercy to these guys, their 50 times worse than the type of criminal we are… Boys, to the bridge… If we're going to bring this piece of junk down, then I'd rather not waste the bullets from our Bullheads… Too expensive." Desmond ordered before he and 15 of his men walked further into the ship.

The other half turned to Neo, wondering of her orders, she smiled and leaned _Hush_ on her shoulder.

**(With Desmond)**

Desmond and his group passed into the cargo bay, he looked at the AP-200s and AK-130s.

"Hmm… I was wondering how the Grey Ursa became a threat in a few months… AK-130s might not be that much in terms of money since they replaced them… But they're still good security and soldiers…. I'm wondering how they got a few AP-200 prototypes…" Desmond mused as he turned to his henchmen who were spreading out.

He was glad all of his men had brought rifles and pistols, swords and axes were nice, but the Grey Ursa wouldn't be wielding guns on their on their flagship.

"Boss, you think that girl is going to backstab us?" One of his men asked as Desmond leaned his cane on his shoulder.

"Neo is a lot of things… A lot which I don't know yet… But she's not a backstabber… Or a sellout, I hired you to shoot other criminals and do the muscle work…. Keep an eye on the door, we're going to move up once Neo gets their attention." Desmond said before he heard the sounds of combat.

"Ah, seems sweet tooth just kicked off the party, let's go. Someone open the door." Desmond ordered before he tapped _Melodic Cudgel_ on the floor and turned away from the rows of mechs.

**(With Neo)**

Neo flipped one of the mercs to the ground with an armbar before batting him in the head with _Hush_.

She saw one of Desmond's henchmen take a shot to the chest and collapse, possibly dead.

Neo sighed before she looked at the other mercs and smirked, Desmond sent her a text over her scroll as she used _Hush_ to block a trio of bullets.

"Heading to the bridge, good luck (:". Neo read before she smirked and turned to look at the other mercs as she gestured to her men to open fire.

**(With Desmond)**

Desmond batted one of the Grey Ursa in the head before hooking his wrist and pulling him to Desmond for a punch.

He was met by a Grey Ursa thug kicking him back before Desmond turned, smirked and shot the man in the chest.

He coughed as his men moved up.

Author Note

**Phew, another chapter done! I recently found out the name of Neo's name with the new book. I also want to point out this battle is going to be split into 4 or so parts, all of which are 900 words. Next chapter will be in 2 weeks on Friday and will show Neo's assault on the weapon room and Desmond and his men fighting towards the bridge. Until then, Lighting Wolf out! **


	15. Push to the bridge

**Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.**

**(Mistral.)**

Desmond ducked behind a piece of metal as 2 of his men turned with their rifles to return fire.

"Anyone who wants to surrender can do so!" Desmond stated before he turned to shoot one of the Grey Ursa mercs who slid back, smoke coming from his chest.

In the seconds it took for the other merc to look at his friend, he was shot in the chest by one of Desmond's men.

Desmond looked at one of his dead men and sighed sadly, he didn't like criminals, but he felt responsible for every single one of his henchmen.

"Keep going, we've got to reach the bridge before they lock it down or this will be for nothing." Desmond stated before the ship shook as Desmond pulled out his scroll as his 12 remaining men rushed forward through the hallway.

"Boss, we're busy dealing with the air support, we nearly lost a Bullhead on the last run…." He heard over his Scroll as he sighed and took it from his hip.

"Can you try to NOT destroy the ship with us on it!?" He yelled before he sighed and turned on the texting for the scroll.

"Let's check in with Ms. Neo…" Desmond typed before he put his scroll back in his pocket and followed his men through the main viewer towards the bridge.

**(With Neo)**

The last merc went to shoot one of the henchmen before he had his neck snapped by a female Grey Ursa soldier.

The henchmen turned to look at the woman who turned into neo with pink energy surrounding her body as the outfit faded away.

Neo's scroll buzzed as the henchmen continued to type at the console.

"Please hurry, we're nearly at the bridge…. And the ship is getting shot up." Neo read before she walked over to a console and began to type as she easily sliced through their security.

She had sliced through security before, she worked for Roman, if he could see her now… She frowned and looked to the ceiling. She called Desmond while she and the others hacked into the ship's guns to shut them down.

"Guns are down, what do we do next?" Neo asked before she tapped _Hush_ on the ground before she twirled the umbrella and rested it on her shoulder.

**(With Desmond)**

"Come here, we're going to need to break into the bridge…. We're waiting in the view area." Desmond said before he turned to one of his men.

"Tell the bullheads to drop off the rest of the men on the roof… I wanted to break this tin can, but I'm guessing we're going to end up taking it over." Desmond muttered before he turned back to his Scroll.

"Sweet Tooth, I need you up here asap, I know I said the engines, but I'd rather have everyone assaulting the bridge… Thank you…" Desmond stated before he put his cane on his shoulder and looked at one of his men who was trying to hotwire the door.

"C'mon, we're burning daylight, buddy…" He stated while he tapped _Melodic Cudgel _on the ground before he waited for Neo and the others of the group got onto the ship.

"This isn't easy, boss, trust me, I'm trying…" The man muttered before Desmond sighed and turned to look at the thug before he sighed.

"Well, we're going to end up storming the bridge soon…" Desmond muttered before he cracked his neck and then looked at the ceiling.

Neo cartwheeled into the room until she leaned on Desmond who smiled before the man turned to them.

"Boss, we're in…" Desmond heard from the man before Desmond saw his men rush into the next room, Desmond turned into another Grey Ursa soldier to catch the group off guard.

Desmond followed Neo into the next room before realizing the pilots were caught off guard. There was a dozen or so pilots and security soldiers' guards in the rest of the room were surrendering.

"No, this is wrong…" Desmond muttered before he turned to look at his henchmen, Desmond turned to look at Neo and then back to the thugs.

"Where were the rest of the group? They're trying something… Neo, can you check the rest of the ship with the reinforcements? Their surrendering too easy, I know their waiting for something…" Desmond whispered to Neo who nodded and walked out of the room with a smile, not dispelling her Semblance until she was out of sight.

Desmond looked over the rest of the crew, he knew for a fact that they were up to something, he had seen people putting up a fake surrender to launch an ambush.

Desmond heard the signs of an ambush coming before the first gunshots went off, he sighed, he turned and looked at the rest of the group for a second before going to help Neo and the reinforcements.

Author Note

**Phew, another chapter done! I wanted to point out that Neo is more skilled at fighting then Desmond but he's a better strategist then Neo. Next chapter is going to be in 2 weeks or so and will show Desmond and Neo dealing with the Grey Ursa Reinforcements and the end of the airship battle. Until Friday, Lighting Wolf out! **


	16. Assault

**Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.**

**(Mistral.)**

Desmond executed one of the Grey Ursa mercs with a shot to the chest. He motioned more of his men forward before humming.

"Neo?" Desmond asked, resting his cane on the ground. He could hear the sounds of combat.

Neo twirled around the neck of one merc, throwing him to the ground with her feet. She turned and hooked the other's arm with _Hush's_ handle.

She tossed the woman into the wall. Desmond hummed and looked at the woman as she turned to face him.

"You know, I'm pretty sure you could have just stabbed them." Desmond stated with amusement while looking at Neo. "I mean, your way is fancier…" Desmond said with a smirk on his face.

Neo only smirked back and moved past him as the duo rushed towards the bridge.

"So, can I assume things are all good?" Desmond asked Neo while they stepped over bodies and broken debris.

"I don't know." Neo stated with another smirk. "We're only possibly going to die when the ship…." Neo started to say before cutting herself off.

That was how Roman died. Neo wasn't about to let Desmond know that.

"When what?" Desmond asked Neo while the finally approached the doors to the bridge once more.

"It was how a friend of mine… Died." Neo muttered only for Desmond to hum.

"Then I'll just have to make sure we don't die." Desmond said as Neo blinked. "Won't I?" Desmond asked Neo while he leaned on his cane and chuckled.

Desmond entered the bridge while Neo blinked again before hesitantly following.

They were greeted by the captain of the airship. Desmond raised an eyebrow at the golden armor-plated warrior. He held a hulking club a lot like Junior. His helmet also held more spikes and he had a Ursa on his chest plate.

"Wow, golden armor. I guess I'm going to have to one up you by wearing platinum." Desmond joked while Neo leaned _Hush_ against her shoulder. "What do you think, Neo?" Desmond asked as the leader stepped over a pile of casings. Desmond could tell his men had backed off an assault of the bridge.

Desmond seriously needed to get better minions. The leader rushed them.

"What, no banter? So, vanilla." Desmond said as he vanished in a flash of energy.

Neo backflipped away, huffing at Desmond's ice cream joke. Desmond appeared in the corner of the room with a blast of orange energy.

"By the way? I have a very good semblance." Desmond stated as the merc leader turned to him. "Hmm." Desmond hummed before tapping _Cudgel_ on the ground.

Neo roundhouse kicked the man to the ground. Desmond watched as she flipped into the air, slamming feet first into his head. She then rolled until she landed in front of Desmond.

"You really think I'm just going to roll over?" The man asked as he climbed to his feet and faced the duo. "That I'm just going to give you this ship?" The man asked while Desmond looked at Neo.

"I don't know." Desmond asked as he leaned on _Melodic Cudgel_. "My men can and will destroy this ship. Neo can kick your ass without me, you can ask all the soldiers on the ship." Desmond stated while gazing at Neo.

"So, you can either surrender this ship and work for us." Desmond said as Neo opened _Hush_. "Or Neo and me kill you. We then kill your men, take this airship, and well? Your going to be dead." Desmond said matter of fact.

"Your point?" The leader asked while he charged them. Desmond heard a shotgun discharge as the bat flew at his face.

Desmond was sent into the console, his aura sparking orange before he hummed. Neo looked at the man as he glared at her.

This was interrupted by Desmond flipping his cane. He fired the grappling hook at the man. This was followed by him drop kicking the man.

Neo watched him slam into the wall before she launched into a handstand spring kick. The man's body flipped backwards. Desmond followed this up by smashing him across the face.

The man fell to the floor as Desmond lifted his head with the barrel of his cane.

"You've never been in a fight before, have you?" Desmond asked the wounded warrior. "I don't think you've ever expected to really have to duel anyone. You expected your men to deal with everything for you." Desmond asked before letting out a sigh.

Desmond smashed the man's head with his cane. The leader slumped to unconsciously.

"Well, that was uneventful." Desmond stated before walking to the console. Desmond deactivated the turrets on the ship so his men could land.

"Welcome to our new home." Desmond said to Neo while smirking.

It was at least good to have another mobile home… But they'd need supplies to fix it soon.

Author Note

**Phew, another chapter done! I want to point out that Desmond and Neo are going to get new looks next chapter. Next chapter will be in 2-4 weeks and will show Desmond and Neo celebrating their victory and getting new clothes. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!**

**P.S: Yang is 1200 words Sunday. Ruby is 900 words Saturday. Winter is 900 words soon. Penny is 900 words Tuesday. Weiss is 900 next, next Friday. Cinder will be in a few weeks. **


	17. New plans

**Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.**

**(Mistral.)**

Neo rocked back and forth in her seat as Desmond counted Lien. He needed more if he was going to avenge his family.

"So…" Neo asked Desmond who cracked his neck and spun _Melodic Cudgel_. Neo left _Hush_ on one of the chairs while their henchmen lazed about the factory.

"What's on your mind, sweettooth?" Desmond questioned Neo while cracking his weapon on the floor. "We're growing little by little. I'm still worrying about those damn spiders." Desmond muttered while rubbing at his temples.

He sighed and rolled his eyes while looking at his minions. Desmond looked at Neo after that.

"We need new clothes." Neo stated as she brushed off her ruined coat. Desmond looked over his own damaged clothes. Ruined in a few recent scraps as they destroyed the rest of the Grey Ursa. He nodded and patted his damaged hat. Desmond threw it in the air before blasting it with his cane. Desmond sighed as pieces rained down at the ground.

Desmond then leaned forward while leaning on _Melodic Cudgel_. He banged the weapon on the ground a few times before resting his head on the handle.

"Yeah, I get that." Desmond stated before looking around. "We're get new clothes tonight… They have a clothing store up north a bit. It's owned by the spiders. I saw we pay it a visit." Desmond said while looking at Neo who smirked at him.

Neo kicked her feet up on the table while Desmond pushed himself to his feet. Desmond twirled his cane and slowly paced to the other end of the factory.

"Hey, get back to work." Desmond ordered his henchmen before looking at Neo. "Any of you who aren't busy? Help Neo, or she'll deal with you… And trust me, you would want to deal with me rather then her." Desmond said as Neo smirked at the rest of the group.

Desmond knew Neo could kick everyone's teeth in if she wanted. The woman was the best fighter in their entire gang. Well, best besides him. Desmond wanted to take out the spiders. He might have been the leader of a 'gang', but he wasn't a warlord who was trying to dismantle Mistral.

Desmond sighed and cracked his back. He looked at Neo who waved her fingers at him before he smirked. He was glad he didn't destroy the hat that Neo wore on his head.

"Ugh, my back is killing me more than a hive of Lancers." Desmond stated while he cracked his back. Desmond leaned on his cane once more before walking towards the roof.

Desmond watched Neo get up to follow him. Since their victory over the leader of the Grey Ursa? More people had signed up with their group. Desmond found out a bit more information about the spiders after finding out more on Grey Ursa.

Grey Ursa was working for the Spiders. Desmond wanted to destroy the spiders entirely.

"Should I point out that we're running a bit more than a gang?" Neo questioned as Desmond hummed and shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm the leader and all that." Desmond stated as he looked at a flying Bullhead. The craft set down on the roof as a group of Desmond's henchmen rushed over to get the craft unloaded.

"There's someone in Mistral I want dead." Neo put in as Desmond hummed and turned to her.

"Well, there's a lot of people who should be dead in Mistral." Desmond said while cursing the fact that his hat was damaged in a fight with Grey Ursa soldiers. "Who exactly is the unlucky guy or gal you want axed off, sweettooth?" Desmond questioned as he raised an eyebrow and dusted off his ruined coat.

Yeah, Neo was right. Both of them needed new clothes. Desmond wished the Grey Ursa had some they could just steal and be done with it.

It wasn't like they hadn't already stolen ammo, dust, and lien. Desmond questioned how the gang was staying in business.

"You know the person who talked about Ozpin and Ironwood back in Vale?" Neo asked while Desmond nodded.

"Ah, her…" Desmond stated while resting his cane on his shoulders. "Then I guess we're find here and… Take her down." Desmond added, not sure what to do at the moment.

Neo frowned, looking at the sky. Desmond didn't know who he reminded Neo of. Neo guessed it was time to tell him.

"That woman killed someone close to me." Neo stated as Desmond cocked his head to the side. "I want to kill that for that." Neo put in while Desmond hummed.

"We all lost someone in Vale, Neo." Desmond added while he cracked his neck. "I'll help you destroy them, but we aren't going overboard… I'm not a monster." Desmond put in before turning to the side.

Little did both know they had a closer connection then it seemed.

Author Note

**Phew. Another chapter done! I want to point that Desmond and Neo are going to fight Cinder this story. Next chapter will be in a few weeks and will show Desmond and Neo getting their new looks. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!  
**

**P.S: Neo is 900 words Sunday. Tock, Saphron, Willow, and Cinder are soon. Raven 900 words Sunday. Ruby 900 words Sunday. Yang 1200 words Saturday. Weiss soon. Penny 900 words Thursday. And Penny 900 words Tuesday. **


End file.
